LPGA Kapalua Tournament Cancelled Due To Lack Of Title Sponsor

Lack Of Title Sponsor Forces Organizers To Cancel Event

Organizers of the Kapalua LPGA Classic in Hawaii have "pulled out of their contract to host the annual ... event through 2012 because they lack a title sponsor," according to the AP. LPGA Deputy Commissioner Libba Galloway in a statement said that the LPGA is "'extremely disappointed' with the decision not to conduct the event in October." Galloway added that the LPGA "will vigorously enforce its legal rights under the contract." Kapalua Land Co., the event's contract holder, said that it is "unable to present the tournament without a title sponsor." Kapalua Land Co. is a subsidiary of Maui Land & Pineapple Inc., which reported a net loss of $13.2M for Q1 of this year (AP, 6/30). Mercedes-Benz Championship Chair and Kapalua Senior VP/Resort Operations Gary Planos said the lack of a title sponsor is the "whole reason" the event was canceled. Planos: "If we had a title sponsorship we would have the event. At this time, we don't." Planos "seemed disappointed with the LPGA's response." Planos: "I was not hoping for that." More Planos: "We knew it was tough to find a title sponsor. We had been trying up into this month. We were searching in Asia and on the Mainland, and with ourselves and the parties that we've engaged, we have not been able to bring the right sponsors" (MAUI NEWS, 7/1).